Alice Hubbard

For a woman who makes up a fifth of one of Britain’s most successful girl bands, Una Foden is surprisingly down to earth; her lilting Irish twang puts me immediately at ease, making me feel like I’m chatting to a good friend, rather than a pop star whose music I’d danced to in front of the mirror as an impressionable teenager.

Having painfully waded through the entirety of American Hustle the previous evening, what I knew to be Oscars hype was swiftly becoming something of a joke. Apart from a wonderfully hilarious Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale’s mesmerizingly entertaining 70s comb-over, all I could think about was how sore my bum was getting on the seat. Yet, a highly different experience greeted me as I sat down to watch 12 Years a Slave. For nothing could have prepared me for what was to become an emotionally raw and stirring - yet visually exquisite - masterpiece. If you haven’t taken the time to see it already, then I am hoping that in this short time, I will be able to convince you.